The Suspense Project thanks Rachel Pulliam of Sole Twin Audio for permission the post the group's recreations of two "truly missing"
Suspense episodes.
Rope was from the Summer 1942 season and was based on the Broadway play of that time. The play, about the Leopold-Loeb murder case, was by Patrick Hamilton and first appeared on Broadway in 1929. The play eventually became a successful Alfred Hitchcock motion picture. Harold Medford adapted the play for Suspense. Melvyn Douglas was originally planned as the star for the Suspense broadcast, but was replaced by Richard Widmark. It is believed to be the first series appearance (and first starring role) for Widmark. He would become one of the series' favorite performers, especially in the Elliott Lewis years. The recreation was produced in 2022.
The Phantom Archer was from 1943. It was a John Dickson Carr script and originally starred Ralph Bellamy, Walter Hampden, Constance Collier, Muriel Kirkland, and Ted Osborne. The recreation was produced in 2023.
A "truly missing" Suspense episode is broadcast for which there is no known surviving recording and its script was not re-used in the series as a second broadcast.
The recreations are an important part of the effort to preserve the history of the series.